Where is Home?
by BlueStar29
Summary: After being hit harshly on the head while running out of Atem's tomb, Yugi developes amnesia and feels lost. He wants to go home ... but how can he when he's already home?
1. The Accident

_Ta-da! A new story just for y'all! Okay first of all, it's short b/c my problem w/ sentence forming really messes up my story lengths. Second, when I say that Atem is "resurrected", that means that he's in the body that he was born with. It's told how that happened, but you'll understand once you read. My first chapters are always short, but I hope this makes a good impression. So, here's a new story for you all to read!_

_---_

The two look a likes stared at each other. It had been done. The ceremonial battle was won … by Atem. Yugi fell to his knees in self pity. His friends all wanted to see what was wrong, but the former Pharaoh stopped them with a raise of his hand, signifying that he would be the one to speak to the boy. He quietly made his way over to the crying boy, placing his hand on Yugi's shoulder and kneeling before him. "Yugi, why do you cry? You fought a great battle. Perhaps that was true, but Yugi did not see it that way.

"B-because … I didn't get a chance to save you … now you'll be forced back into the puzzle for another five thousand years!" Yugi buried his face in his hands. He could not let his best friend fall to that dark fate once again. He heard a deep sigh above him and before he knew it, he was brought into a loving embrace.

"You tried your best, Little One. And that is all I can ask for." Yugi returned the hug.

"But it wasn't good enough …"

"On the contrary …" A soft female voice said, interrupting their tender moment. Both ancient spirit and modern boy looked to Ishizu, who had spoken with a smile. "The prophecy says that if the Pharaoh does win the battle, he can not move on to the afterlife; however, it does not say how he has to spend his time here on Earth." She winked at both of them. Joey snapped his fingers.

"Are you sayin' that 'Tem can remain in his body again?" Marik had to think about it for a second, but then agreed.

"Yes, actually; since he is already in his original body, he can pick up right where he left off in ancient times!" Before the battle had started, the group was lead to Atem's ancient tomb, where his own real body had awaited … however, it had rot and decayed due through time. Atem stated that it was '_not his finest moment_'. However, a resurrection spell was used on the body, bringing it back to full health and allowing its former resident spirit to enter. (_This is what I mean when I call him a '_resurrected Pharaoh_' in my other stories._)

"So you're saying that even though Atem won, he doesn't have to live in the puzzle anymore?" Tristan asked. The Ishtar siblings nodded.

"Yes, that's right." Having been quiet through the battle and moments following, Kiaba smirked from the back of the group.

"Well then, I guess this means that I'll have as many chances to duel you as it takes me to defeat you properly." Atem smirked.

"Wishful thinking, Kaiba." Suddenly, Yugi threw his arms around Atem's waist and smiled.

"This is great! You can come and live with me and Grandpa now! I'm sure he wouldn't mind, would you, Gramps?" Solomon shrugged in a casual manner.

"Of course not! After he's taken such good care of you, it's only right that we returned the favor."

"So it's settled then?" Tea asked. Atem smiled and nodded.

"I guess I'm staying … but how old am I?" He asked, scratching his head. Marik chuckled.

"You're twenty-one. I know because of all the research I had to do on your life." This made Atem blush for a second while everyone else laughed … everyone except Kaiba.

"Are you all done now? Can we possibly leave this place? I think I'm losing my tan from lack of sunlight."

"Eh, don't worry 'bout it, Kaiba. That fake tan of yours looked too orange anyway." Joey commented. The two started arguing while Yugi and Atem were discussing living arrangements.

"You can have the guest bedroom, Atem. It's right across from my room." Atem chuckled and brought Yugi into another hug.

"Please call me '_Yami_', Little One." Yugi's smile widened. Suddenly, the ground seemed to shake. A small rumble at first then grew into a shockwave.

"That can't be good …" Joey announced. One by one the stones of the ceiling started to fall, almost landing on a few people. "DEFINETLY NOT GOOD!"

"The tomb is collapsing! Quickly, we need to evacuate NOW!" Ishizu instructed. Nothing more had to be said. Everyone ran for their lives, running as fast as they could to escape the collapsing tomb. Atem and Yugi were the last to leave.

"Hurry!" Atem yelled toward his light. Yugi, having a few health issues, had the hardest times running up the stairs and out of the tomb. Joey, Tea, Tristan, Solomon, the Kaiba brothers and the Ishtar siblings made it out first, catching their breaths.

"Where are Yugi and Atem?" Tea asked with worry in her voice. Still inside the crumbling tomb, Atem had taken the liberty of taking Yugi's hand in order to speed him up.

"There's the exit!" Yugi said. Atem ran faster, forcing Yugi to try and catch up with his speed. The boy's legs were starting to hurt. As soon as they reached the exit, Atem let go of Yugi's hand, thinking they were safe, but that was not so. Yugi stopped and looked behind him, never seeing a falling rock at high speed, aiming for his head. Before he had a chance to comprehend any kind of thought, the large rock bashed him right on the head, knocking the boy unconscious. Atem stopped when he heard the fragile sound of stone against bone … either that or he felt Yugi's pain, so he stopped.

"**YUGI!**" He ran towards the fallen boy, picked the body up, and ran as fast as he could to safety.

In the distance, the group was watching the tomb fall towards the ground. "So this is what it felt like to watch the fall of an empire." Joey randomly commented. Tea, Tristan and Kaiba all stared at him. Not too long after, Atem could be seen coming from the smoke with a bundle in his arms. The friends were all very relieved.

"They made it!" Tea said with joy. What she did not see at first was the boy in Atem's arms. Marik went over to try and help, but Atem refused it.

"What happened to him?" Asked the tomb keeper. Atem sat for a second, trying to catch his breath before he responded.

"He was hit on the head." He looked down and patted Yugi on the cheek. "Yugi, come on now, wake up!" Ishizu gasped.

"He's bleeding!" Atem lifted the boy's bangs to see that it was true. Yugi had a deep gash on his skull right above his left temple. It was gushing out blood at a fast pace.

"We have to get him to a hospital!" Kiaba flipped his cell phone open.

"Get me a jet as fast as you can! You should know my location!" As soon as the call was made, a jet zoomed in the air and landed in record time. "What took you so long!" Kaiba complained. The pilot saluted.

"Sir! What is the emergency, Sir!"

"We have to get that kid to the nearest hospital!"

"Sir! The nearest hospital is the one back home, Sir!" Kaiba slapped his face with his hand.

"Then you better have a doctor on board!" Atem hurried onto the jet, placing Yugi on a bed. There was still too much blood.

"Please be strong, Little One …" Ishizu moved him out of the way so she could get to the unconscious boy.

"I have training in medicine; after all, I was a healer in my past life." Atem looked at her with a '_how did you know that_' look. The Egyptian woman winked. "I can keep him stable until we get to the hospital." It was a long shot, but it was the only option he had. He could hear Kiaba up front yelling at the pilot to go as fast as humanly possible. Tea was crying uncontrollably, while Solomon tried to calm her down. Atem looked down and could see that Yugi's wound was getting worse.

"Is he going to be alright?"

"I can not tell right now. He's still losing too much blood, and it looks as if he hit his head pretty hard."

"You should have hard what I did; it was sickening! I heard him get hit … it even _sounded_ fatal." Atem cringed at hearing that sound over and over again in his head. He started to shed a few tears before Ishizu put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Do not give up hope yet, my Pharaoh." Atem nodded. He would pray to all gods just to have Yugi live from this tragic incident as the jet made its way as fast as it could to the hospital.

---

_End of Chapter_


	2. Coming Home

_Okay, first of all, sorry this took longer then I thought to get up, but my laptop malfunctioned, so I had to retype the entire thing. Second of all, when you get to the ending, I know it's lame, but my computer was about to crash and burn. I didn't want to end it there, but I had to, so I had to stop and save where I was. And third, you might recognize some of this from the final episode of Full House. Not all, but Some. Okay, that's it. Enjoy!_

_---_

Atem paced around the waiting room so much that he began to wear a hole in it. While Seto Kaiba was reading the only reading material available at the time, Highlights Magazine, Mokuba watched Atem pace around in circles and frankly, he was beginning to get a bit dizzy. Solomon was filling out the paperwork for the hospital while Joey, Tristan, Tea, Duke, Ryou, and Marik went to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Ishizu tried to keep herself busy by praying for Yugi to come out of this in one piece. All in all, the only one who was really all worked up about this was Atem. Mokuba was still watching him pace, but did not say anything about stopping him. Kaiba exhaled loudly in an annoyed manner due to Atem's pacing, causing the ancient Pharaoh to stop suddenly and Mokuba to fall to the ground in dizziness.

"For the love of all that is kind and good, will you sit your ass down in a chair and stay still for five minutes!"

"How do you expect me to react when Yugi is on the verge of death in the emergency room!" Kaiba put his magazine down and met Atem at eye-length.

"Look, it was only a head wound. The worst that could happen is he gets a little bruise or something." Atem shook his head.

"You didn't see all the blood that I saw, Kaiba! He could be dying and we wouldn't know it!" The two rivals were in each others faces at this point.

"Alright, that is enough out of both of you!" Both looked over at the old man filling out the paperwork. He seemed a bit older then usual. Perhaps it was the stress of the situation that was doing this to him.

"That is my grandson in there. He has fought through many events in his life to get to where he would be today if he weren't in there." Solomon sat back down in one of the chairs and lowered his head with his hands. Mokuba sat in the seat next to him.

"What do you mean, Mr. Moto?"

"Yugi has been through many hardships that none of you know about. I believe that he will make it through this. I have to believe that. And it won't do him any good with you two bickering like that out here!" Both Atem and Kaiba lowered their heads in shame, suddenly feeling like little kids again.

All of a sudden, the double doors opened. Everyone tensed up, hoping that it was the doctor, but hopes were soon crushed when they saw that it was just the gang coming back from lunch.

"Dang, I've never eaten so much before in m'life!" Joey exclaimed. Duke slapped him harshly on the back.

"I bet you have." Thinking for a second, Joey chuckled innocently.

"Well okay, I have, but I've never eaten anything so _clean_ before. I love hospitals!" For the first time in twenty-four hours, Atem smiled.

"So I take it lunch was good, then?"

"What lunch?" Tea and Tristan exclaimed together. Tristan glared at Joey.

"By the time we were able to get to the snack bar, everything was gone thanks to the bottomless pit here!" All Joey did was shrug and smile.

"So, what did we miss?" Mokuba giggled a bit.

"Nothing much; just Mr. Moto lecturing these two like they were little five-year-olds!" Tea joined in Mokuba's laughter, as did Duke and Ryou. Kaiba blushed and sat back down. Atem however, was still curious on what Solomon meant by the fact that Yugi had fought though many events that even he did not know about.

"Solomon, what else did you mean when you said that Yugi has fought though many events?" Solomon hesitated before answering.

"Perhaps I shouldn't say anything else … I swore to him that I would not say anything to you kids about his childhood." Joey whined.

"Aww, we wanna hear!" After some more persuasion by the others, Solomon finally caved.

"Alright, I'll tell you; but you must never repeat it." The others all agreed. "Well, have any of you wondered why Yugi lives with me in the first place?" The others all looked at each other. Come to think of it, everyone had been wondering why Yugi lived with his grandfather and not his parents. Solomon sighed before he went on. "Well, when Yugi's mother was pregnant with him, his father abandoned her, telling her that he wanted nothing to do with her or the baby. After that, his mother began to drink and smoke when she was pregnant, which was why he was two months premature. His mother always tried to work very hard, but she somehow was always fired from every job she ever had. She left him with me most of the time. I tell you, when she would come to pick him up, Yugi would beg me to let him stay with me. Don't get me wrong, he loved his mother very much … she just did not love him." At this point, everyone was awestruck.

"She neglected him, abused him, even tried to kill him from time to time. Some times she would starve him for a few days before he found his way to me. One day, she did manage to murder someone right in front of his eyes … and tried to do the same to him. Luckily I got there in time and took him away. To this day she is in prison on death row … and Yugi still tries to start a relationship with her. The first time he went to see her in prison alone, she tried to choke him to death." Atem gasped. "Her sentence was life, but we all know that the max is twenty-five years. At least by then Yugi will be old enough to be on his own." When Solomon finished his story, he saw that everyone had the look of horror in their eyes. Who would have thought that sweet Little Yugi had had such a terrible life and even seen death … and yet still turned out so sweet and innocent.

"Wow … at least our step-dad didn't try to kill us …" Mokuba said to Kaiba, who shrugged in agreement. Joey nodded.

"Here, here. My dad may be a drunk, but he's not a murderer. He never tried to kill me … poor Yug'." Tea was crying by the end of the story.

"Why does Yugi still try to be nice to that … that woman?" Solomon was about to answer when Atem beat him to the punch.

"Because Yugi has a sweet and gentle nature. He doesn't like having enemies and he thinks that no one deserves to be mistreated, no matter how badly they treat him." He was being started at from all eyes. It could be felt that he was speaking from the heart. Like he could tell what Yugi was feeling, even if Yugi could not put into words, Atem could.

Just then, the door opened again. This time, it was a doctor. He was tall, thin, and had fiery red hair. (_I'm using Dr. Manteuffel from '_I Need Your Help_' just because I can._) "Yugi Moto?" Both Atem and Solomon followed the Doctor since only family members were allowed beyond the waiting room. Solomon said that Atem was his oldest grandson and Yugi's older brother. Atem did not like that, but Solomon assured him that it was for the best for the time being.

"Well now … as you can see from the x-rays, Yugi's skull damage was pretty severe. He lost a lot of blood. He had a lot of internal bleeding in his brain and his body's rush to heal itself caused a lot of clots in his brain. Now, we were able to remove the clots, but the damage done by the collision itself was already done." Atem was squeezing Solomon's hand, almost cutting off his circulation.

"But he's fine, right?" Manteuffel nodded slowly.

"Yes … and no. He's fine, but there was some damage done to his brain. His senses might be a bit altered and he might not be able to function as well as he used to." The squeezing kept increasing by the minute.

"Atem, calm down …" Solomon whispered.

"Will he be okay?"

"With time and recovery, everything should go back to normal." Atem nearly jumped out of his seat.

"'_Should_'? I don't like '_Should_'!"

"Please calm down, Sir. Yugi will be fine." Atem put his hand up. He wanted to see Yugi NOW.

"I have heard enough. Tell me where Yugi rests so that I may observe him myself." He had slipped into his old formal speech, which he did every time he was either pissed, or worried about Yugi. Manteuffel sighed and gave Atem directions to the Recovery ward.

---

Atem was not amused. Not only was that doctor a complete idiot, but his precious Yugi had been moved to the other side of the hospital where he had to walk through the Psychiatric ward, the Maternity ward, and the ICU to get to the Recovery ward. Ah, here it was: Room 202. Atem sighed as he grabbed the doorknob and gently turned it. Inside, Little Yugi lay asleep in the large hospital bed. His head was wrapped in gauze and he had wire hooked up to him everywhere. The boy looked like an angel just laying there in the bed, all comfortable with not pain or fear. Absentmindedly, Atem closed the door with a loud slam, waking the boy from his sleep. Said boy groaned and tossed a bit in the bed before he spotted Atem through his half-lidded eyes.

"Are you alright?" The resurrected pharaoh asked.

"I think so … my head hurts …" Atem moved closer to sit on the bed.

"I'm so sorry … you were hit on the head," His hand moved to take Yugi's hand," and if you---" But Yugi took his hand away from Atem, gaining a confused look from the ancient drama queen.

"… Who are you?" Atem's eyes widened at the question.

"Y-you don't remember me?" Yugi shook his head. "Do you even remember your own name?" After thinking for a few seconds, he shook his head once again.

"Do you know my name?" Atem was speechless to say the least. He could only think of one thing to do.

"_**DOCTOR!**_"

---

A few days later at the Game Shop, the gang was helping put up decorations for Yugi's '_Welcome Home_' party. Tea and Ishizu were in the kitchen cooking, Tristan and Duke were blowing up balloons with a helium tank, and doing that stupid thing where they inhale helium and their voices change (_I hate that!_), and Joey was hanging up a banner that said '_Welcome Home Yugi_', obviously specially made.

"Man, why are we throwin' this party for Yug' when he's scared to even look at us?" Joey asked. Tea tasted her soup and rolled her eyes.

"Because we're trying to make him as comfortable as humanly possible, duh!" Tristan sighed.

"Yeah, but how can we? It nearly broke my heart when he looked at us we all that fear in his eyes …"

"I know, but I think Atem took it the worst. He still hasn't eaten or slept since the incident." Marik added.

"Well why don't you all keep your mouths shut and put up those decorations quickly, Atem said they'll be here at three and it's already two-thirty." Kaiba said from the couch with the '_Highlights Magazine_'. Apparently, he still had not found the toaster in the tree. Joey stepped off the latter and stood in front of him.

"Hey, why don't ya get off your ass and help us, ya sissy-boy!" Kaiba smirked.

"Can't; back problems."

"You're only seventeen!"

"Why do you think I have a job where I sit on my ass all day long?" Joey groaned and went back to putting up the banner. Solomon came in with a store bought vanilla cake with white icing, Yugi's favorite. It said '_Welcome Home Yugi_' on it.

"Do you think this is too much? I don't want to scare him off …" The old man said with concern clear in his voice. Joey put his arm around him.

"No way, Gramps. We want Yugi to know that this is where he belongs." He was about to poke at the cake when Solomon caught him.

"Don't even think about it, you begger!" He set the cake down by the rest of the snacks. The phone rang and Tea picked it up. It did not take long for her to put it down either.

"Wow, I've never seen you put a phone down so fast; you'd think it had Ebola or something." Tristan said. Tea rolled her eyes again.

"Very funny. That was Atem. He said they're in the driveway, so get ready!" A few seconds later, the front door opened.

"It's alright, Yugi … don't be scared." Very slowly, did Yugi follow Atem into the house. When the lights were on, that was when everyone yelled

"SURPRISE!" Yugi made no emotion or movement whatsoever. He probably thought this was how these people said '_hello_'.

"Yugi, say hello … do you know who they are?" Yugi looked at everyone in the room. The only person he did recognize was Atem, and that was only because he had seen him first.

"Aren't you the nice people I met at the hospital? Are we all family?" That needed to be corrected immediately.

"No, Yugi. This is Joey, Tristan, and Tea. They got to school with you. Over there is Duke. He goes to school with you too, but only two quarters out of the year. Seto Kaiba here is also in your class. And he owns a company with his younger brother Mokuba. This is Ryou. He was new at your school and you broke the ice with him. And This is Ishizu and Marik. They're from Egypt. They came here to make sure that you were alright." Atem explained, pointing at everyone and reintroducing. "And this is Solomon, your grandfather."

"My grandfather?" Solomon chuckled.

"Yes, but you call me '_Grandpa_'."

"Okay … Grandpa …" Solomon hugged Yugi, who tensed at the contact, but still wrapped his arms around this old man who said he was related to him. Still, no matter what he did, Yugi just could not shake off the feeling of being lost. Why did he feel lost? He was home … was he not? The party was nice. Through the whole time, Yugi tried to keep track of who everyone was, but his mind still slipped a few times. Every once in a while his vision would blur and he would slur his words. Around ten was when he asked the most devastating question of all.

"So, you're my grandpa, right?" Solomon nodded.

"Yes."

"Then that must mean that I have parents somewhere. Where are they?" Silence was all that was heard.

---

_End of Chapter._


	3. Looking for Memories

_A short new chapter b/c I really have no idea where this is going, all I know is that Yugi's memory does not come back for a good long time. Another thing: people keep asking me if this is going to be a romance ... I don't know. What do you think? Here's the vote: Should this be a romance between Yami and Yugi or not? You decide in reviews. Okay, now enjoy!_

---

No body had the courage to look Yugi in his confused eyes and tell him that his parents both hated him enough to abandon him. The amnesiac boy looked around, silently asking himself what he had done wrong. All he wanted to do was find out where his parents were, and these people would not tell him. "Did I say something wrong?" He finally asked. Atem looked over at Solomon, who had a sad look on his face.

"I'm sorry I have to be the one to tell you this … but your parents … abandoned you when you were very young." There was a giant stab in Yugi's heart as his heard this. How could his parents abandon him as a child? Why would they do that? Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at the old man for a long while.

"W-why did t-they … abandon me?" He asked. Solomon sighed again and moved closer to Yugi.

"I don't think you're strong enough to know the truth just yet. I will tell you one day, but not right now. You have been through too much already." Yugi bowed his head in shame. He felt so lost. He did not understand anything at this point. He knew these people were just trying to help him, but he was still a bit too scared to talk to them. Atem could feel the fear and confusion the boy held. He wanted to take Yugi's mind off of this depressing moment.

"Yugi, do you want a piece of cake? We ordered your favorite, white cake with white icing." Yugi shook his head. He really did not want to be around anyone right now. He had to think up an excuse to leave the room.

"I-I'm kinda tired now … I think I just wanna go to bed …" Atem sighed and nodded while everyone else had sad looks on their faces.

"Alright." Atem put his hand on Yugi's shoulder and guided him up the stairs. "I'll show you to your room and I want you to get plenty of rest, understood?" Yugi nodded his answer. As the two of them left, the rest of the gang found it hard to have a good time without their guest of honor.

"This sucks; at this rate, he'll never remember anything!" Joey said. Solomon sighed.

"Just give him time, Joey. Things will start to come back to him over time."

"This wouldn't have happened if we never went to that stupid tomb in the first place." Tristan added. Tea nudged him roughly in the arm.

"Hey, don't blame him! It's not his fault that this happened! Yugi wanted to help Atem any way he could!"

"Oh, so you're saying he did this to himself?"

"Well … no … but it's not Atem's fault either."

"It is no one's fault at all." Ishizu interrupted. She had a sad look on her face that made her look as if she were a thousand miles away. "This was an unexpected accident. We can blame no particular person for Yugi's current condition. What he needs right now is as much comfort as possible." She made perfect sense. Tristan and Tea apologized to each other. At this point, there was no point in having a party if the person it is thrown for did not want to be present, so everyone went their separate ways for the night. Joey had just enough guts to ask to take the cake home before he left. Sighing, Solomon gave him half of it.

---

Up in Yugi's room, Atem had made Yugi change into his pajamas and brush his teeth before he climbed into bed. As Yugi started to lay on his bed, he thought that this was much more comfortable then the hospital bed. The mattress was so soft that he could sink into it. There were at least five blankets on the bed. Atem explained to Yugi that he would get cold very easily during the night, so they decided to keep a number of blankets on the little one's bed. Yugi pulled the blankets over his shoulders, snug as a bug in a rug. There was a small knock on the door, which opened without even waiting for an answer. Atem came in with a bottle of fresh spring water and a few pills in his hand.

"These are the medicines that the doctor prescribed for you." Yugi was very cautious as he took the pill out of Atem's hand and washed it down with the water.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome." Yugi began to lie back down as Atem put the water bottle down on the night stand.

"Comfortable?" Yugi nodded.

"Can I ask you something?" Atem sat down on the bed.

"Of course."

"On the way here, you said that you weren't related to me at all; so … why do you look like me?" Atem was prepared for this question. It was bound to pop up sooner or later.

"It is all very complicated to explain. You wouldn't understand if I told you, and if you did, you might become scared."

"So you're not gonna tell me?" Atem shook his head. He reached out to rub Yugi's cheek, the way he ways did when Yugi had a hard time getting to sleep, or just to comfort him, but this time, Yugi pulled away, clearly telling Atem that he did not want to be touched.

"Just remember one thing: I do not look like you; you look like me. It's sort of a '_first come first serve_' kind of deal." Yugi gave him a confused look.

"What?" Atem chuckled.

"Never mind; just get some rest. We'll talk more tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Did you want me to tuck you in?" Yugi cocked his head.

"Uh … do I usually let you tuck me in?" Atem shrugged.

"Sometimes."

"Then I guess you can if you want to." That was not the answer Atem wanted. If Yugi did not want to be touched, then the resurrected Pharaoh would not burden him with close contact.

"I think you're good to go. Good night."

"Night." As Atem left and closed the door, Yugi lay on his back, seeing that the ceiling to his room was a skylight. He gazed at how beautiful the night sky was when it shined with so many twinkling stars. Everything that had happened that day had finally come crashing down on him. He began to sob softly to himself. He hated this feeling of confusion. He wanted to go home … but everyone kept saying that he was home. How can he feel safe here if it does not feel like a real home? "I wanna go home … someone please help me …" He cried for about forty-five minutes, never knowing that on the other side of the door, his older look-alike had been listening to his small charge cry.

---

That night, Atem could not sleep. Just thinking about the confused boy in the next room made him shed his own tears. The situation was bad enough, but what really hurt Atem on the inside was the fact that there was nothing he could do for Yugi … nothing except be there for him. The ancient one rolled onto his side. He wished Yugi would be more comfortable around him. He and Yugi had been so close before this all started, that neither of them ever thought that it was a little too close for two friends to be. Granted, they did share a body, but now that they did not, and with Yugi's current state, it was just so strange to Atem; strange in the fact that he could not touch Yugi the way he used to. Atem always rubbed Yugi's cheek when he needed comforting in the past, ever since the puzzle was solved, and before Yugi even knew of his dark's existence, Atem would always rub Yugi's cheek in order to calm him down. In a way, it sort of calmed him down as well. But now even that was taken away from him.

Deciding that he was never going to get any sleep this way, Atem got up and went downstairs to get a glass of water. When he got half way down the stairs, he noticed that the living room light was on. Being the suspicious person that he was, he decided to take a look. He found Yugi sitting on the sofa with a few photo albums on the coffee table and in his lap. The boy sniffled a bit, the kind of sniffle that comes with crying. A lump formed in Atem's throat as he walked around and sat down next to his light.

"What are you doing up so late?" Yugi shrugged.

"Couldn't sleep." Atem expected that simple answer. "I guess you couldn't either." That he was not expecting.

"How did you know?"

"Because you're up." He flipped a page in the album. Atem leaned over to see the pictures, careful not to get too close to the easily frightened boy. He chuckled a bit, seeing Yugi's baby pictures. They were so adorable. Even as an infant, Yugi's hair showed to be growing in the way it stood this day. "Is that me or you?" Atem sighed.

"That is you. I did not meet you until you were older." Yugi finally looked up at the darker one.

"Now will you tell me why we look so alike?" Atem sighed. Yugi was just not going to let that go until he received some answers.

"Well … I don't know how to explain it without freaking you out."

"Why would it freak me out?" Atem bit his lip.

"Because … the reason we look alike … is because we're … really the same person." Yugi cocked his head.

"What?" Atem groaned and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

"I've told you too much already ..." Yugi could see that he was not going to get anymore then what he received, so he returned to looking at the pictures. He saw pictures of himself having fun and running around as a child in his grandfather's yard.

"I wish I could remember this … any of it would be nice …"

"I know …" Absentmindedly, Yugi leaned his head on Atem's shoulder as he continued to look in the album. Atem raised a brow. First the kid did not want any contact at all, now he was resting his head on Atem's shoulder … he needed to make up his mind!

"Um … Little One …" Yugi did not answer, "Little One …" Still no answer. Finally, Atem shook his shoulder to get Yugi's attention, "Hey, you awake?"

"You were talking to me?"

"Yes."

"I thought my name was Yugi."

"Well it is … but I always call you '_Little One_'." Yugi closed the album with a slam, signaling that he was a little offended for some unexplained reason.

"Hey, is that a crack about my short height!" Atem blinked in surprise at Yugi's mood swings.

"N-No … Of course not. I call you that because you mean a lot to me. You never thought of it as an insult before. I won't call you that if you don't want me to, Lit— I mean Yugi." Yugi's anger quickly faded, leaving a sense of guilt behind in its place. Atem looked so sad and … hurt.

"No, I'm sorry … I shouldn't jump to conclusions like that." Atem smiled.

"It's fine." Yugi smiled and turned to the photo album he had.

"Do you remember any of these pictures?" Atem took the book and looked through it. He came upon some of the pictures that were taken of Yugi and his friends.

"Yes, I remember when these were taken. This is a picture of you and your friends Joey, Tristan and Tea on your thirteenth birthday, going to the amusement park." Yugi looked at it and giggled. It looked like they were having a really nice time. Suddenly, Yugi found something smudgy on the photo. He took it out and looked at it carefully. He tried to rub it away, but when he looked at it closely, he could just barely make out a face … a face that kind of looked like … Yugi slowly turned his head to look at the person sitting next to him. His eyes were filled with shock. Atem gave him a confused look, not knowing why he was suddenly scared. "Yugi?" He looked at the picture Yugi was holding and gasped when he found out that Yugi had seen him in his ghostly form. Yugi dropped the picture and defensively stood up. "Now Yugi, I can explain …"

"W-who are you? Really!" Atem could see the plain terror on the boy's face.

"I am who I told you I was … I just did not tell you how we met …"

"Y-You're a … a g-ghost!" Atem was speechless. Because of this, Yugi knew it was true. "Oh my God …"

"Now Yugi … calm down … I'll tell you what you want to know, but you must calm down."

"Calm down? **CALM DOWN**!" Atem shushed him, afraid that Solomon would wake up any second. "How can I calm down when I have a real ghost haunting me!"

"Wait, just listen ---"

"No, I ---" And before Atem could say anything more, Yugi had lost consciousness and fell to the ground with a loud thump. Atem watched him faint and one thought ran through his mind.

"… Oh crap …"

---

_End of Chapter_


	4. One Step Closer

_Okay, sorry this took so long, but I was in a bit of a block. This chapter is short, sweet, and to the point. Oh, and on a personal note, those of you who begged me like "_oh please don't make it a romance!_" Oh grow up! I don't do that "brotherly" crap! It's either a romance or father/son for me! Really, I only have one rule when I read a story: Yugi _**MUST **_be the main character. Not Yami, _**YUGI**_. That's my only rule. No "ifs", "ands", or "buts" about it! I still haven't decided, but if this does become a romance, heh well I guess that's just too damn bad for you, isn't it? Perhaps I'm being a little rude, but when people beg, I hardly ever listen. I'm still deciding, so don't worry about it just yet. I may leave it as a nutral. Oh, before I forget, I know I really don't care about what everyone else thinks so much, but let's make this one a vote. which of the following would you like to read as a new story:_

_1. Yugi and Yami are together with each other until Yami suddenly ends their relationship so that he can have someone else he has his eyes on and breaks Yugi's heart. After a few weeks of feeling sorry for himself, Yugi literally bumps into the new exchange student at school and begins to fall for her. Yes, **HER**. This new student is a girl by the name of Alana Martinez. She does not speak English very much, but since Yugi is pretty fluent in Spanish, the two communicate perfectly._

_2. Right after Joey is freed from Marik's control, the crazed Millenium Rod holder is still after Yami's power, but goes after Yami's weakness instead ... Yugi. He places Yugi under a mind controling **spell** and turns the little cutie against his guardian. But no matter what Yugi does, he can not break the spell._

_3. Yugi is walking in the park one day when something falls from the sky and lands on his head. When he looks at it, it seems to be a pink cat-like creature with a long tail. This creature is from another world. After a bit of research, he finds out that this creature is called a Mew; a legendary "pokemon" that he nurses back to health for a while._

_4. A father/son story where Yami and Yugi are wolves. Yugi is the youngest cub of a litter of 10. One day, while Yami and Yugi go hunting for food, their pack, Yami's mate and nine other cubs are killed. Now they must find a new pack to join so that Yugi can grow up properly._

_5. To stop the dark lord, Zorc, there is only one thing that can defeat him: the Star of Light. However, to protect the Star, it must be held in the hands of the Pharaoh. So, with the Star given life, thanks to the DNA of Pharaoh Atem, the Star can be protected until it is needed to save the world from eternal darkness._

_So, there are your choices. The one with the most votes will be a Christmas present for you all. Okay, I'm sure you're done hearing me rant so much, so enjoy the chapter!_

_---_

With a little help from everyone else, Atem was able to convince Yugi that what he saw the night before was just a strange dream. But to Yugi, that '_dream_' felt so real, that he was even more scared then he was before. He refused to come out of his room. The one person he did not want to be around was Atem. That '_dream_' left him a bit shaky. Everyone was very worried about Yugi. He still did not show any signs of regaining his memory. It had been a few weeks and only seldom did he leave his room.

"He can't stay up there forever, Solomon." Atem said, pacing back and forth in the living room. Solomon nodded.

"Perhaps, but maybe we should give him a little more time" ---

"No!" Solomon literally jumped a bit. "He's had enough time! He needs to start regaining his memory." The old man sighed in a frustrated manner. He did not like the way Atem had just burst out at him like that.

"You don't get it, do you?" Atem looked a little insulted.

"Get what?"

"Amnesia is different; it can not be dealt with the way it was when you had no memory! If you force an amnesiac person to regain their memory, they could become even more frightened and wander off. It must come back on its own." Atem felt very bad. Yugi was losing himself more and more each day and there was nothing the resurrected Pharaoh could do to help his little charge. He sighed and finally sat down on the couch, after a few laps of pacing while rubbing his face.

"What do you propose we do?" Solomon folded his arms and sat back down in the chair he sprang up from.

"As I said, his memory has to come back on its own, so we do what the doctor said and surround him with familiar things until he's back to normal. End of discussion." Atem reluctantly sighed and nodded.

---

Upstairs in Yugi's small room, he sat on his bed, looking out of his skylight windows on the ceiling, thinking to himself. His condition was not getting any better. He constantly had a headache, his vision blurred from time to time, and he could hardly remember anything that had happened the previous day. He was struggling so hard to keep himself together, but at the end of the day, he just wanted to crawl under the covers of his bed and die. A few tears passed his eyes. "I'm s-s-s-so confused … I really w-w-w-want to go home. This all feels so s-s-s-st-str-strange …" It was still difficult for him to speak without stuttering or slurring. Sometimes he would repeat himself as well. The amnesiac boy looked around the small, clean room in wonder. "Who was I b-be-before I forgot?" He got up and went to his desk. He picked up a small teddy bear that Atem had dug out from the closet on the other side of the room. He had told Yugi that he slept with it every night.

The bear was thin and its right arm looked like it was about to fall off. The left ear had some stuffing coming out of it, but what Yugi was examining was the smile the bear had stitched into its face. "I f-feel as if this ha-ha-has so many m-m-memor-memories … but I can't find them …" He cuddled the bear as a few more tears fell down his rosy cheeks as he sank into his bed and cried into his pillow. Suddenly, there came a knock at the door.

---

Atem felt bad. He really wanted to help Yugi with his memory problem, but he promised Solomon that he would let Yugi's mind find itself. One thing Atem was always known for was his inability to sit still. Even in Egypt when he was sitting on his throne, he would either be squirming or changing positions every ten seconds. He had to get up and do something. So, having the persistence that Yugi once found amusing, now despised, he went upstairs to the small boy's room.

Upstairs, he heard a small mewling sound. Yugi's white kitten, Ezzy was pawing at the door, begging her master to let her in. Atem felt sorry for the baby cat. Ever since Yugi came home, he tried to stay away from her as much as possible, refusing to let her sleep on his bed the way she always did; almost as if he were afraid to even go near the small feline. Luckily for Ezzy, Atem let her sleep in his room while Yugi was in his current condition; which was a little strange, considering that Ezzy did not like Atem very much.

"What's the matter, Ezzy? Yugi won't let you in again?" Ezzy looked at Atem with pleading eyes and mewed. Well, Atem was heading in that direction anyway. He knocked on the door. "Yugi, can I come in?" A small muffle was heard, but that was it. He knew that Yugi still had trouble speaking, and it was hard for him to listen to the little one struggle to even keep up in a conversation. The Pharaoh opened the door, letting the tiny kitten in with the bell on her collar jingling lightly. "How are you, Little,"---- he always had to remind himself. "---Yugi?" As Yugi sat up, Ezzy made her way onto his bed, ready to nuzzle her master and have him pet her head. Unfortunately, Yugi did not want any of it. He backed away into the wall.

"Why d-d-d-do-does this cat always want to be, to be around me?" Ezzy just mewed. Atem put his hand over his mouth, trying to hold back his laughter.

"Well, because she's your kitten. She wants you to pet her." Yugi tried to push Ezzy away as she began to paw at his hand. He was beginning to get a little frustrated.

"Well, I d-do-don't want to pet her!" Atem could not stand it any longer. This was too funny. He picked up the kitten, who gave him a groaning sound. He began to pet her white fur and she calmed down.

"You see? She won't hurt you. She loves you." Atem held the small kitten out so that his charge could pet her, but Yugi refused again.

"Th-There are three p-people in this house, w-w-why, why does she choose me!?" While asking this question, Ezzy gave a loud '_put me down_' sound as she jumped out of the Pharaoh's arms.

"Because you are the one who saved her." This caught the boy's attention.

"Huh?" Atem sat on Yugi's bed and sighed.

"Ezzy was a stray kitten just a few hours old when you found her. The mother had been killed along with the rest of the litter because some thugs in an ally thought it would be funny to torture them. Then you arrived and threatened to call the police with animal abuse charges if they did not leave them alone. After a while, they left … but you thought you were too late until you heard her crying in the ally. She was very beat up, but you took her home and nursed her to health." Atem smiled as he finished his story. Reluctantly, he had to leave out the part that Yugi's holy aura calmed even the most savage of beasts. Hell, he could even befriend a wild lion if he tried.

"Wow …"

"So you see why she loves you the most? To her, you are her savior." Yugi looked at the small kitten with tears in his eyes. He had no idea that he had been the one to save her.

"I'm so s-s-so-sor-sorry … can you forgive me?" Ezzy buried her head under his hand and purred.

"I think that's a '_yes_'." Atem said. Yugi laughed as Ezzy's tiny pink tongue licked his hand. The Pharaoh smiled. That was the first time in weeks that he had heard Yugi's sunshine-filled laugh. "Yugi?" Hearing the name he was used to, Yugi looked at Atem.

"Yeah?"

"Um … how about we take tomorrow to see Domino. Perhaps it will spark a few memories. We'll go to your favorite places and spend some time together." Yugi bit his lip as he thought this over.

"Hmm … I don't know …"

"Oh come now, you need some fresh air. You have been up in this room for nearly a week. Being outside will be good for you."

"But don't I go to s-s-s-school? Shouldn't I be going there?"

"We have decided that you need to recover first, and then you can go back to school."

"Well …" Atem was practically begging him with his eyes. "Okay." The resurrected Pharaoh smiled.

"Good. Well, I'll let you get some sleep. Would it be alright if Ezzy slept in your room tonight?" Yugi was playing with her tiny paws as Atem asked his question.

"Do I let her slee-eep in my room?"

"Yes, all the time. But she's been sleeping in my room for the past few weeks because you seemed to be on pins and needles around her lately. And frankly, she keeps me up all night, meowing at me to let her go back in your room." Yugi had to giggle at that.

"Sure, she can sleep in my room." A smile came upon Atem's lips.

"Good. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Yugi."

"Um Atem?" Said Pharaoh cringed slightly as he heard Yugi speak his true name, but turned around with a smile on his face.

"Yes?" Yugi looked down at his lap. He seemed to be confused about something.

"For some reason … I want to thank you." The ancient drama queen cocked his head.

"For what?"

"I … I don't know … I just feel like I need to thank you for something …" Atem watched as Yugi's gentle eyes tried to search his mind for an explanation, but found none. A soft smile formed on the Pharaoh's lips.

"Well, your welcome." As Atem turned to leave again, Yugi whimpered.

"Uh … w-w-wi-wi-will you … tuck me in, tuck me in?" Atem smiled. This was one of the reasons he though of Yugi as the son he never had.

"Of course." He went over to the boy's bed and laid every one of the five blankets that he had on top of him. "There you go. Good night." As Atem walked away, Ezzy made herself comfortable on Yugi's pillow right beside him.

"N-N-Night." Atem smiled once again and turned the light off. Tomorrow he would take Yugi around the city and finally, they would have a chance to try and restore Yugi's memory.

---

End of Chapter


	5. No Luck

_I hate Thanksgiving ... my whole family does so we don't celebrate it. But to those of you who do, Happy Thanksgiving. Okay, I think I should have mentioned in the last chapter that you can only pick _**1 **_on the choices for a new story. One per costumer. So pick your favorite, and we'll see which one wins. Again, your choices are:_

_1. Yugi and Yami are together with each other until Yami suddenly ends their relationship so that he can have someone else he has his eyes on and breaks Yugi's heart. After a few weeks of feeling sorry for himself, Yugi literally bumps into the new exchange student at school and begins to fall for her. Yes, **HER**. This new student is a girl by the name of Alana Martinez. She does not speak English very much, but since Yugi is pretty fluent in Spanish, the two communicate perfectly._

_2. Right after Joey is freed from Marik's control, the crazed Millenium Rod holder is still after Yami's power, but goes after Yami's weakness instead ... Yugi. He places Yugi under a mind controling **spell** and turns the little cutie against his guardian. But no matter what Yugi does, he can not break the spell._

_3. Yugi is walking in the park one day when something falls from the sky and lands on his head. When he looks at it, it seems to be a pink cat-like creature with a long tail. This creature is from another world. After a bit of research, he finds out that this creature is called a Mew; a legendary "pokemon" that he nurses back to health for a while._

_4. A father/son story where Yami and Yugi are wolves. Yugi is the youngest cub of a litter of 10. One day, while Yami and Yugi go hunting for food, their pack, Yami's mate and nine other cubs are killed. Now they must find a new pack to join so that Yugi can grow up properly._

_5. To stop the dark lord, Zorc, there is only one thing that can defeat him: the Star of Light. However, to protect the Star, it must be held in the hands of the Pharaoh. So, with the Star given life, thanks to the DNA of Pharaoh Atem, the Star can be protected until it is needed to save the world from eternal darkness_

_Remember: choose only _**ONE**_! And enjoy the chapter!_

_---_

The next day turned out to be as one would expect. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and Yugi was still just as confused as ever. Atem knew they had to do something in order to jog the boy's memory. Yugi and Atem went to all the places that Yugi loved to go … well, when he had his memory. Their first stop was Barns and Noble bookstore. Atem told his little charge that he loved to go into the bookstore and browse around looking for new books to read. It was a pretty fancy bookstore; a lot of popular authors on their list.

"This place looks nice." Atem said. He had never really gone into the store since he did not like to read as much as Yugi did. He considered Yugi to be a bookworm, as one would call it. However, the younger did not take to the store quite well. Yugi took in a deep breathe and turned his nose up.

"It s-s-sm-smells in here …" Atem chuckled.

"That's the smell of books, Yugi." Said amnesiac boy took a look at all the people who walked around looking at books.

"Exactly how much do I like to read?"

"A lot; you spend most of your free time hiding being a book when you have nothing else to do."

"What do I like to read?" Atem had to think for a moment. Though both did share a mind for the past few years, even if Yugi currently did not know about it, they did have different interests. Yugi had a very imaginative mind, while Atem was more of a critical thinker. Atem had to see things for himself in order to know how something worked. Yugi could come up with his own explanations of how things could work in the world, and that is why Atem loved Yugi's mind so much. He loved the way Yugi could come up with the most ridiculous answers to such common questions such as "_why is the sky blue?_" he would answer: "_the world is trapped inside of a blue cube, making the sky look blue all the time._" Of course the Pharaoh knew that Yugi was just playing around when he would say these kinds of things, but Atem had to chuckle to himself. He loved to hear Yugi's bizarre theories.

"Atem?" A small voice admitted, breaking the resurrected Pharaoh away from his thoughts.

"Yes?"

"What are you laughing at?" Atem slightly shook his head.

"Nothing, I was just thinking of something. Come, I'll show you where you like to buy your books." Yugi was a little taken back due to the face that Atem had laughed for no reason, but followed his older roommate. They stopped at the '_teen_' section.

"This is where I buy my books?"

"Yes." Atem was looking around the shelves for the book that Yugi had been looking at the last time Atem had to pick him up from the store. "Ah, here we go: this was the book that you were thinking of buying." He gave Yugi a hardback book that had the title of The Dragon's Eye. Yugi gazed at the book, examining it for a few seconds. He held it in his hands and raised a brow. Atem smiled, thinking that Yugi had found some sort of memory, or at least hoping for one … but his hope was soon lifted as Yugi asked his next question.

"This is the kind of stories that I like?" The Pharaoh's narrowed eyes widened. How could Yugi refuse a book like that? It was not something that Atem would read personally, but that was the kind of stories that he liked to read.

"Um … what do you mean?"

"I mean these are the kinds of books that I like to read … fantasy?" His voice was growing irritated. He looked at Atem, almost glaring at him.

"Well … um … yes. You love fantasy; all kinds of it. You read a lot of fantasy books and then when you are done with them, you draw a picture of what you have read." Yugi's glare seemed to harden as Atem spoke his words.

"Why would I like something as useless as fantasy? I don't read anything important like drama or humor or horror or anything?"

"You think dramas are boring, humor is not all that funny, and horror gives you nightmares." Yugi stuffed the book back onto the shelf harshly.

"I think I'm done here. If all I read are fantasy stories, then what's the point of reading at all?" Atem could not believe what he was hearing. Yugi never turned away a story that would involve dragons or elves, or nymphs, or any fantasy creature.

"You read them so that you can draw them. You have a very creative mind, Yugi."

"How creative?"

"Creative enough to come up with your own theories of how the world works. When I laughed earlier, I was thinking of the time when you explained why the sky is blue. You said it was because the world was inside a blue box or something like that." Atem chuckled again as he thought about it. Yugi gave him a stern look.

"Why would I say something as stupid as that?" Atem gasped lightly.

"Y-you don't mean it … it's just something you joke around with …" Yugi scoffed and folded his arms.

"Sounds to me like I was really stupid … I want to leave." He started to walk away.

"But …" it was too late. Yugi had already stomped away and was out of the bookstore. Atem sighed. He had never heard Yugi talk like that, let alone talk like that about himself. It was as if the innocence, light, and creativity in his mind, no … personality was gone. That was what was scaring Atem the most. It seemed that the longer Yugi went without any memory he began to lose himself more and more. The entire situation made tears start to form in the once great Pharaoh's eyes, to see his little light lose its glow. But he was not going to let this one minor setback stop him from giving Yugi back his memories. He just hoped that along with them came the innocent features that he learned to cherish so much.

---

The rest of the day had been like that. Atem took him to an art store, the mall, a few electronic stores and to his, now former, favorite place to eat. The duo's final destination was one of their favorite stores. This store sold games, DVDs and CDs of all kinds. Atem loved shopping here. He and Yugi had recently discovered that video games were just as fun as dueling. Though Atem preferred his PlayStation 2, Yugi had preferred the Nintendo Gamecube. He liked the Gamecube better because he did not like all the violent games that PlayStation had, and Atem would often buy. Even though Atem was not evil, he was a being of darkness, so he enjoyed a little massacre now and then; as long as it was in the game and not real life. That was why he bought those games.

"Why are we here?" Yugi asked in a very condescending tone. Atem went straight over to the PlayStation section to pick out a new game.

"Well, I figured you would maybe like to get a new game for your Gamecube. Go on, it's my treat. I'll buy it for you." He offered.

"Why would I want to waste my time playing stupid video games?"

"You love games, all sorts of games. Go on, pick one out." Yugi turned away.

"No thanks." He had a bit of an attitude in his voice. Another loss for Atem. It seemed that this day was not going according to plan. Yugi was supposed to be remembering things, not refusing everything.

"Alright, I'll pick one out for you." He went over to the Nintendo section. After looking around for a while and making 'hmm' sounds at least fifteen times, he finally found one he thought Yugi would like. "Here's one you haven't played: Kirby Air Ride. You love Kirby." He gave it to Yugi so he could see it.

"It looks like a pink marshmallow." Atem shrugged.

"Well he … kind of is." Yugi shook his head and gave it back to Atem.

"No thanks."

"Alright, I'll get you another one" ---

"LOOK, I DON'T WANT SOME STUPID GAME, OKAY?!" The people in the store stared at the small boy in shock due to his outburst. But Atem was the only one staring in sympathy.

"Yugi … I …"

"Atem, this isn't working … I just wanna go home and go to bed ..."

"But it's only one o'clock." Yugi did not care. He simply shrugged and went to wait for Atem in the car.

---

The drive home carried a very heavy silence. Yugi just looked out the window, holding his head up with his hand and sighed every once in a while. Atem kept looking over at the small light, hoping that he could somehow break the silence. But nothing came to mind. Once they came to the game shop, Yugi said nothing as he walked in.

"Hello, boys. How was your" --- Solomon began to ask as Yugi just walked past him with his head hanging and his hands buried in his pockets. Atem came in with a long look on his face. Both flinched as they heard a door slam shut upstairs. "---day …" He looked at Atem. "What happened?" The Pharaoh sighed.

"Nothing, that's what's wrong."

"What do you mean?" Both men went into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Not only could he remember anything, but I took him everywhere he would normally go, and he contradicted it!"

"How?"

"He kept putting things down and asking '_why would I do this_' or '_why would I do that_'? To tell you the truth, his attitude was starting to get on my last one! Solomon was speechless.

"That doesn't sound like Yugi."

"The worst part was that after a while, he asked me why I took him to all those places and then asked if he was a nerd."

"A nerd?" Atem nodded.

"He asked if he was a nerd because, and I quote; '_only nerds do pointless crap like what you're showing me now_'. To tell you the truth, I think he was trying to tell me that I was a nerd as well."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. He was probably just still confused." Atem shook his head.

"You should have hard it, Solomon. He was putting everything down. He had an insult for everything. I don't think he's confused anymore, I think he doesn't _want_ to remember!"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he wouldn't work with me!" Atem started to hyperventilate now. "Every time I tried to help, he refused it! He insulted me, and made smart-ass comments on everything! He won't be the same person anymore. Yugi has lost himself in his amnesia." A few tears started to flow down Atem's face in his hysteria. "I spent the whole day trying to look for my little Yugi … but instead, I was stuck with that … that brat!" Solomon was a little confused.

"What do you mean looking for Yugi? He was with you the whole time."

"No, I mean _my_ Yugi. The one I know so well … the one who's innocence, light, purity and creativity I cherish so much … But instead, I had him; that twisted, sarcastic smart-ass!"

"Calm down, Atem."

"No, I will not calm down! I want Yugi back! I miss him, not this empty shell that he left behind when he was hit!" The Pharaoh stood up and grabbed his jacket. "I need to get some air." He swiftly opened the door and slammed it behind them. Solomon watched him leave and then sighed as he stood up and went back to the game shop. Neither of them knew that the whole conversation had been heard from the stairs …

_End of Chapter_


	6. Old Memories Anew

_Like I said, I'm trying to update my older stories, I think next will be_ 'Scientifically in Love'._ In the middle, the Italiac part is being told by Atem, that's why it's in first person. I do, however, have a draft of_ 'The Union' _in the works and should be up in a few days, if not tonight. I've been so miserable b/c people that used to talk and play with me about this stuff have all moved on and I feel as if I'm being left behind. There's no one left to talk to ... at least, no one my own age. It's never going to be the same here or at dev ever again, but I don't care. I'll keep it alive._

--

The lone boy stood in front of the mirror, looking at himself. He had to admit that what he saw looking back at him did not look healthy. The skin was abnormally pale, the once bright amethyst eyes were now blood shot and nothing but a dull purple. There were dark circles under his eyes, either from the tears or the lack of sleep, he did not know. Slowly, he raised a hand and placed it on the glass of the mirror. He pitied himself, just like everyone else did. He could remember the conversation that had taken place downstairs between Atem and Grandpa, Atem's cruel words from a few hours ago:

"The worst part was that after a while, he asked me why I took him to all those places and then asked if he was a nerd."

"_A nerd?" Atem nodded._

"_He asked if he was a nerd because, and I quote; '__only nerds do pointless crap like what you're showing me now__'. To tell you the truth, I think he was trying to tell me that I was a nerd as well."_

"_I'm sure he didn't mean it like that. He was probably just still confused." Atem shook his head._

"_You should have hard it, Solomon. He was putting everything down. He had an insult for everything. I don't think he's confused anymore, I think he doesn't __want__ to remember!"_

"_Why do you say that?"_

"_Because he wouldn't work with me!" Atem started to hyperventilate now. "Every time I tried to help, he refused it! He insulted me, and made smart-ass comments on everything! He won't be the same person anymore. Yugi has lost himself in his amnesia." A few tears started to flow down Atem's face in his hysteria. "I spent the whole day trying to look for my little Yugi … but instead, I was stuck with that … that brat!" Solomon was a little confused._

"_What do you mean looking for Yugi? He was with you the whole time."_

"_No, I mean __my__ Yugi. The one I know so well … the one who's innocence, light, purity and creativity I cherish so much … But instead, I had him; that twisted, sarcastic smart-ass!"_

_--_

All the yelling that Atem ended up doing had been enough to catch Yugi's attention. He was about to make his way downstairs when he realized that their conversation was really about him. Was that really the way Atem saw him? A '_sarcastic, smart-ass brat_'? Well, if he preferred that Yugi not be around, he should have just told him. Yugi looked into the eyes of his reflection. "If that's the way they feel about me, then maybe I should just leave. This can't be my real home …" He had himself convinced that his parents were, in fact still alive and well, not to mention together, out there and waiting for him to come walking in the door. "I never truly belonged here …" He still had no memory from before he woke up in the hospital. Everything and everyone around him just felt so strange. To him, everything these people have been telling him was nothing but lies. He was sick and tired of those lies. Kids should be with their parents, not people who talk about them behind their backs. Yes, it was time to go find where he truly belonged.

Silently, Yugi gathered a few things he believed he would need such as money, clothing, and a small snack and put them into a small knapsack. Not once during the item gathering did his mind reconsider his decision; which meant that he truly believed that this was not his home. In his mind, he registered the thought of how his real parents would react to his homecoming. As the boy reached the front door, he took one last look around the dark, quiet place he stayed in during his so called '_recovery_'. Letting a tear roll down his cheek, the amnesiac boy closed the door, planning never to return.

--

The next morning, Atem was not having a very good start. First, he looked quite the mess when he woke up, almost completely scaring himself when he looked into the mirror. Not only that, but he almost fell down the stairs because he had not been watching where he was walking. He slouched himself down in a chair at the breakfast table. Solomon was already up and at the stove, cooking breakfast. Atem could smell eggs, bacon and sausage. The elder of the household looked behind him to see the resurrected Pharaoh having a hard time waking up for some reason.

"You look like you had a rough night." Atem seemed to glare, but did not really mean to.

"Ugh …" He groaned. Solomon could not help but let out the small chuckle he was trying to hold back.

"Want to talk about it?"

"I'd rather spend another five thousand years in darkness …" Solomon raised a brow. He placed a plate of eggs in front of Atem. The Pharaoh took the fork and just played with his food for a while.

"Atem, something is wrong; tell me." Atem sighed. He hated talking about what was bothering him with anyone other then Yugi.

"I have this feeling inside me … it's eating away at my insides. It's the strangest thing …" Solomon rubbed his hand against his face.

"That feeling's called '_guilt_'." Atem blinked cluelessly.

"… Oh."

"The best way to get rid of that guilt would be what caused you to feel guilty in the first place." Atem did not want to admit it, but the reason for his guilt was the words that left his mouth about Yugi the previous night. "Let me guess: it has to do with what we discussed last night, doesn't it?" Atem looked up from playing with his food.

"What makes you say that?" Solomon sighed.

"You always mope when you say or think things about Yugi that you don't really believe."

"Well, I guess I was a bit … out of line …" The elder scoffed.

"A little? Atem, you called him a bratty sarcastic smart-ass." Atem cringed. Hearing those words again made him feel even worse. "You should go talk to him." Atem hesitated a bit.

"S-shouldn't I wait a little longer?"

"No, you do it now; I can't stand you boys giving each other the '_sad_' cold shoulder." Atem sighed again. He hated it when he and Yugi acted like t hat around each other as well. He nodded and slowly made his way back up the stairs to Yugi's room. Seeing that the door was closed, Atem was tempted to just turn around and walk away, but he knew that that would not help the situation. He sighed and finally knocked on the door.

"Yugi? Can I come in?" There was no answer. At first, Atem assumed that Yugi was still asleep, and if he was, it was time for him to get up anyway. He knocked again. "Yugi, if you're asleep, it's time to get up." After no response was given, Atem opened the door ever so slightly, just enough to peek in. "Yugi?" He looked around. There was no sign of the boy anywhere. Atem's eyes widened slowly before he took in a deep breath and yelled loudly.

"GRANDPA!!" He screamed as he ran out the door and down the stairs.

--

On the other side of the city, Yugi walked around, confused after he got off of the bus. '_My real family has to be around here somewhere, I just know it_.' He still refused to believe that he lived in a place where he was not really wanted and where people were lying to his face. However, he had no idea where to start. '_How am I going to find my real family?_' For some reason, this part of town looked familiar to him.

Suddenly, a thought came to him. A funny scene began to replay in his head. He saw himself, in a preppy uniform … sitting in a place filled with books. '_A library!_' He had no idea where to look for the library, but it seemed that his legs did. Absentmindedly, he allowed his legs to take him to the place that appeared in his memory.

He walked down the street. As he saw more and more places, more distant memories flew into his mind. He knew they were memories of his past because he could see himself as small child. Suddenly, he gasped, eyes wide open. "I … remember!"

"Alright, we need to look everywhere, leave no corner unturned. I want posters, I want milk cartons, I want an AMBER alert, I want"--

"--'Tem! Get a hold of yourself, man!" Joey yelled. Atem was in such worry that he literally had to shake the former ruler by his shoulders just to calm him down. Atem took a deep breath as Tea told him to.

"I'm sorry, it's just that … well …" Tea gave him a small comforting hug.

"We know, you hate it when Yugi gets himself into trouble, and how he's out there, all alone and confused. But believe me, we will find him." She giggled a bit, just enough to cheer Atem up. "Besides, you guys do tend to stick out, so it shouldn't be that hard." Tristan shrugged.

"Yeah, but still, he could be anywhere. We should split up." Solomon nodded.

"Good idea. I'm going to go down to the police station and file a missing person's report. You kids search his usual haunts and we'll take it from there."

--

Tristan and Tea decided to check out any of the bookstores around town. They started at the nearest Barns and Noble. "If Yugi doesn't remember anything, then how can we be sure that he'll go anywhere that he used to? Tea asked. Tristan shrugged as he picked a book off of a shelf.

"Maybe intuition will guide him to some familiar places." Tea looked at him with a long look. "What?"

"That was really deep, Tristan." The brunette boy raised his arms, confused.

"What, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I thought you didn't believe in that psychological stuff." She moved around a shelf to look at a different category of books.

"I didn't until this happened. I guess the mind really is more than just another vital organ." Tea sighed.

"Yeah …" She was looking at books on psychology and picked one up. It was a book on mental disorders. "Hey, Tristan, look at this." Hearing his name, Tristan walked over to Tea and looked at the book she was holding.

"What's this?"

"It's a book on mental disorders. There are chapters for Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Schizophrenia, and Alzheimer's."

"Does it have a chapter on Amnesia?" Tea turned to the back of t he book to look in the index.

"Not a separate chapter, but it does mention it." She turned to the page that mentioned Amnesia. The two friends both hoped that this would lead them to their confused friend. Tea skimmed over the two pages on the condition and gasped.

"What?"

"Listen to this: _Victims of Amnesia usually regain older memories then recent memories_. _Due to this, there have been reports of Amnesia victims never gaining back their memory_."

"So?"

"So … Yugi's old memories are probably about his parents … more specific, his mother." Tristan's eyes widened. He remembered the story Solomon had told them about Yugi's relationship with his mother.

"Y-you don't think … he would go looking for her, do you?"

"I don't know, but we better tell Grandpa about this."

--

Atem and Joey walked around the park. Yugi usually liked to take walks along the walking path here. Atem walked slowly with his hands in his pockets and his eyes to the ground. He just could not stop thinking about the argument he had had with Yugi. Was that the reason Yugi ran away? What kind of guardian was he? He had let Yugi down twice. The ancient one felt very low right now. He was brought out of his thoughts when Joey nudged him.

"Hey, you alright, 'Tem?" Atem continued to look at the ground and sighed.

"Yes, Joey. I'm fine. I just … How could I keep letting Yugi down? I'm supposed to protect him, not hurt him any more than he already is …" Joey rolled his eyes.

"Dude, you gotta stop blamin' yourself. You're starting to sound like Yugi." Atem looked at him with a confused look.

"Excuse me?"

"Yugi blames himself for every bad thing that happens to us, and now you're blamin' yourself for Yugi's memory loss." Atem glared.

"This is different, Joey. I promised Yugi that I would protect him at all costs. And for a while, that's what I did … until the ceremonial battle …" Joey shrugged.

"You might still be able to protect him when we find him."

"Why do you say that?"

"From what you've told me, it sounds like Yugi's not angry at you, he's angry at himself. We're probably going to have to keep an eye on him when he find him." Joey said. When no response came, Joey looked at Atem, who had his eye focused on the ground once again. He had the feeling that Atem was only half-listening to him. He nudged the former Pharaoh again, this time, harder.

"Ouch! What the hell is your problem?!" Atem exclaimed, rubbing his arm.

"Were you listening to me at all?!"

"Yes! I heard everything you said!" Atem answered, still rubbing his arm.  
"Sorry, Man. Just wanted to make sure I go through to ya." Atem sighed and looked around.

"I don't think he's here, Joey. If he was, he'd be somewhere by the lake, and I don't see him anywhere …" Joey nodded in agreement.

"Maybe we should go …" The blonde replied.

--

Back at the Game Shop, Solomon told the friends that he filed a missing persons report with the police and they are currently out on the look for them. Somehow, Atem still was not satisfied.

"Mr. Moto, Tristan and I found this book in Barns and Noble, it's about mental disorders, and it mentions amnesia." Tea said. She gained the attention of everyone in the room.

"What about it?" Solomon asked. Tea opened the book.

"Well, it says that Yugi might regain older memories before he regains more recent ones." The elder gasped. The boys looked at him.

"What's up, Gramps?"

"Well, if that's true, then I fear that Yugi may regain memories of … his mother …" This time, everyone gasped.

"Wait, I thought his mother was in prison." Tristan said. Solomon nodded.

"She is, but that does not mean that he knows it, or knows why." Atem pondered all of this.

"Do you know where he would go?" Solomon shrugged.

"Probably to the house that he lived in with my daughter." Atem's eyes widened in horror. Even before the puzzle was completed, he was conscious enough to watch over Yugi as he grew. He knew the horrors of what his mother used to do to him early in his life. He placed his hand over his mouth, trying not to scream for Yugi.

"'Tem, what's the matter with you?" Joey asked. "We're gonna find him before he goes looking for his mom."

"None of you understand what it's like … I haven't just been protecting Yugi since he solved the puzzle, I've been protecting him most of his life." Solomon and the teenagers were all confused at this point.

"What do you mean, 'Tem?" Tristan asked. Atem sighed and sat down, the others following his example.

"Solomon, you found my puzzle in the 1960's, right?" Solomon nodded. "For thirty more years, my soul slept in the puzzle, was tortured by the darkness, but the day Yugi was born, my consiousness awakened. I could feel his presence because he is a part of me. I was still trapped, but I knew my savior had been born. His room was the room my puzzle was kept in. He was so close that I was able to project my consiousness when he was near me." Atem smiled. "I remember that night …"

--

_My consiousness had already been awakened from slumber, and I could feel my lighter half coming near me. I projected myself into the room and looked around for my lighter half. I heard footsteps approaching from the floor below. I hid in the closet. It was then that Solomon and his daughter entered._

_"Ashita, he can use this room as his room." Ashita turned her nose up at something. Whether it was the room, or her child, I could not tell._

_"There's no need for that, it can sleep in my room." I gasped. I could feel that the child was my light, and I would have been devastated if he were too far away from me. Then I saw Solomon cringe._

_"'He', Ashita. He's a boy." The baby's mother rolled her eyes._

_"Whatever." She handed the child over to Solomon, who whined. I felt so sorry for the baby. I could not imagine a mother talking about her baby in such a manner. Solomon sighed and placed the child in the crib._

_"I'm sorry, Yugi; I think your mother's just suffering from postpartum depression." I studied the name. Yugi … interesting name. Solomon placed a kiss on Yugi's forehead and left. After the door was closed, I left the closet and moved over towards the crib. I gasped when I saw a baby that looked almost exactly like me. He did not have the full head of hair he has now, but the fuzz that was there showed that he would has the same features as I have. Yugi lay sleeping in the crib, fists softly clenched. I smiled at seeing such an innocent little baby. I knew that he was a part of me, and I wondered how something that was so connected to me could be so pure. Yugi squirmed for a moment, and I thought I woke him up, so I left him alone._

_Later in the night, after Solomon had gone to visit some friends, Ashita was left alone with Yugi for the first time. Yugi began to cry. He was practically screaming his lungs out. I could hear him in the puzzle and it pained me to listen to those cries for so long. I did not do anything, thinking that his mother would take care of it. After Yugi had been crying for too long, I came to the conclusion that Yugi was on his own. I appeared by the crib and watched Yugi cry for a few seconds._

_"Hey, why are you crying?" I was answered with just an even louder cry. Sighing, I figured I needed to do something; after all, I was this boy's darker half. I gathered energy from the puzzle and created myself a temporary corporeal form. Hesitantly, I reached into the crib and picked Yugi up. He was, of course, still screaming. Panic filled me as I held the little life of my light in my arms. Then suddenly, he stopped. I looked at him, wondering if something was wrong, but then he opened his eyes and looked at me. I never felt more at peace then I had at that moment. It was then that I decided that I would protect Yugi forever. Carefully, I went over to the rocker in the corner of the room and began to slowly rock Yugi back to sleep. I gave him a kiss on the head. That was the first time Yugi smiled at me. There's no feeling in the world like having a child smile at you with all the trust in the world. We stayed like that for a bit longer until Yugi fell asleep. After that, it became a nightly ritual for me to rock Yugi to sleep after Solomon put him to bed._

_Seven months later, Yugi was able to see me even in spirit form. I remember one day, when he was learning to crawl, he lay on the ground, looking at me as I sat on the other end of the room. _

_"Come on, Yugi. I know you can do it." He looked at me with such large eyes. Finally, he began to move, worming, really, not knowing that he needed his knees in order to move forward. After a while, Yugi became frustrated because he was not moving fast enough._

_"Ehhh!" He whined. I laughed, thinking how cute he was._

_"Oh, it's alright, Little One. Try again." He did, but still would not use his knees. He looked at me, and I could feel that he was wondering what was wrong. Laughing at him again, I went over and helped him. "Here, you need to use your knees." It took a few tries, but eventually, Yugi was able to crawl towards me and into my arms. "Very good, Little One, you did it!" Yugi let out a happy squeal. We were both happy._

_A year later, Yugi and I were coloring in his room. Yugi was at that point where he was experiencing holding the crayons in both hands. He kept switching from one hand to the other. At this point, I was able to gather enough energy to create a form that lasted a few hours._

_"Yugi, can I use the blue?" I asked. Instead of answering me, Yugi began to color the whole page of his coloring book with the blue. "I take it that that's a 'no'?" He did not answer me, but he did not get a chance to. It was all of a sudden when his mother opened the door and began yelling at him. Luckily, I was able to vanish before she entered._

_"Yugi!" He tried to run, but she grabbed his tiny wrist with a fierce grip. "How many times have I told you to clean up your toys when you're done?!" Yugi tried to get away. I wanted to help him, but I could not reveal my presence at the time. I could hear Yugi trying to call me for help, but could not. I was back in the puzzle and watching the situation through Yugi' eyes. I could feel his fear. Suddenly, to my own terror, Yugi's mother brought her hand up and savagely slapped him across the face. I even felt it, but I could handle the burning pain better then an eighteen month old could. Yugi screamed his lungs out, breaking my heart. I thought she would be finished after slapping him so hard, but I was wrong. She took her fist and punched him in the eye. After that, she slapped him again and spanked him harshly. Yugi was in a fit after his punishment was over._

_"Next time, when I say clean up your toys, you clean them up!" She let him go and slammed the door on her way out. Once she was gone, I gathered energy and held Yugi on my arms as he cried. It was terrifying, I was even scared. Seeing things from a baby's point of view can be very scary at times. I felt terrible that I could only watch as Yugi was beaten. I pitied myself, asking myself how I could call myself his protector._

_--_

"The beatings continued, and they continued to get worse and worse as time went on. When she began to starve Yugi, I wanted nothing more than to rid that woman of her pathetic life. Well, I was insane back then but still, a mother should not cause her child such pain." The group listened intently. By the time Atem was finished, the teens had tears in their eyes.

"You witnessed all this?" Joey asked, trying to keep his voice steady. Atem nodded.

"A year later, she took him away and I did not see him again until he was ten. By that time, the damage had already been done and he was broken." Atem hid his face in his hands in his shame.

"We were always wondering why Yugi would stay in his room for so long … now it all makes sense." Solomon said. Atem ignored him,

"What if Yugi goes looking for her again? How will we get there in time?" He asked to no one in particular. Solomon nodded, determined to find and protect his grandson.

"We'll start at their old house. I still know the address."

--

_End of Chapter_


End file.
